OneOncology Expands Leadership, Partnership
In September, Nashville-based OneOncology, a national partnership of independent oncology practices, added two new senior healthcare executives to its leadership team.
Jon Billington has been appointed chief financial officer. Most recently, he was the CFO for US Acute Care Solutions, a physician-owned provider of integrated acute care services. Previously, he served as Americas CFO and global chief accounting officer for a large technology solutions provider to the wireless industry, as well as serving many years as a partner at the accounting firms Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.
Janice Baker has been named chief human resources officer. She was promoted to senior vice president of the Human Resources Department at Envision Healthcare in 2019, having previously held other management roles in the department since 2011. Prior to that, Baker was the Human Resources director for Accuray, a radiation surgery medical device company.
"Building the right culture at OneOncology is key to how we help practice partners thrive, and I know our leadership team is poised to build on our momentum in the marketplace," said Jeff Patton, MD, CEO, OneOncology.
In August, OneOncology and Foundation Medicine of Cambridge, Mass., announced a joint initiative to better enable partner practice physicians to unlock the potential of precision oncology through comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and research. The partnership is intended to empower physicians across OneOncology's nearly 170 community oncology care sites to better drive personalized treatment plans, inclusive of targeted therapies, immunotherapies and clinical trials.
"This innovative partnership is designed to help expand our ability to deliver advanced precision oncology services for every cancer patient at our OneOncology partner practices," said Lee Schwartzberg, MD, chief medical officer at OneOncology. "I am a big proponent of understanding the molecular landscape of a patient's cancer in order to determine the appropriate treatment course for patients with advanced cancer over multiple lines of therapy. We're excited to optimize comprehensive genomic profiling and its power to inform more personalized care across our network."
The partnership includes a research collaboration, which will focus on accelerating molecular insights and patient care through the use of clinico-genomic datasets.
In addition to expanding clinical research capabilities, OneOncology also launched significant value-based research capabilities, added three practices and 80 physicians in 2020.
VICC, Erlanger Cancer Care Collaboration
In October, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Erlanger Health System kicked off what is anticipated to be a long-term collaboration in cancer care. The agreement, announced in late June, establishes VICC as Erlanger's exclusive contracted provider of inpatient and outpatient hematology-oncology services and medical directorship for the program. The agreement, however, does not affect Erlanger's relationship with its medical staff or prevent other hematologist-oncologists from providing care in Erlanger's hospitals.
"Our mission at Vanderbilt-Ingram is to share our clinical expertise and discoveries for the benefit of cancer patients everywhere, and this collaboration with Erlanger Health System is an example of our commitment to the care of cancer patients throughout the region," said Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Byrd Jr. Professor of Molecular Oncology, director of Vanderbilt-Ingram and executive vice president for research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Over the next year, VICC and Erlanger will pursue plans to expand the hematology-oncology collaboration and grow the scope of services consistent with Erlanger's vision for cancer care and VICC's National Cancer Institute-Designated cancer center capabilities.
VICC Closer to Home
On Aug. 31, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Wilson County opened to the community with a full array of highly specialized services, including diagnostic assessments, medical oncology and radiation oncology. Opening a full-fledged, multi-disciplinary VICC location in Wilson County is part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's ongoing efforts to deliver the care patients receive in Nashville closer to home across the region.
VICC is one of only 51 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Additionally, Vanderbilt-Ingram is one of 30 members of the National Comprehensive Care Network focused on multi-disciplinary approaches to advance better treatments for complex, aggressive and rare cancers.
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Wilson County is one of only four centers in the nation equipped with an Ethos radiotherapy system, a treatment system newly approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This new technology integrates imaging with treatment delivery, allowing radiation oncologists to see changes in patient anatomy, adapt treatment plans within minutes and deliver the therapy within a typical 15-minute timeslot. The technology enables radiation oncologists to quickly change treatment plans if a targeted tumor has changed size or shape.
Tennessee Oncology Opens New Chattanooga Clinics
In early October, Tennessee Oncology announced the opening of two new clinics in Chattanooga - one downtown and one in the eastern part of the city. Earlier this year, Chattanooga-based University Oncology Hematology Associates joined Tennessee Oncology and affiliated OneOncology.
Martin Joins NGH Oncology
Richard L. Martin, III, MD, MPH, has joined Nashville General Hospital's oncology team. The fellowship-trained physician is nationally recognized for presentations in quality improvement and patient care, as well as his work on cancer prevention research. Martin earned his Master's in Public Health from Oregon Health and Science University with a focus in epidemiology and biostatistics. Following medical school at the University of Washington, Martin completed residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics and fellowship training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As Chief Hematology Oncology Fellow, Martin developed a longitudinal inter-professional lecture series with hematology/oncology pharmacists and advanced practice providers (PA, NP), which was presented at ASCO national meeting 2019.
Martin is part of Nashville General Hospital's Dr. Robert E. Hardy Cancer Center where his areas of specialty include anemia, coagulation, hemostatic disorders, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, sickle cell disease and renal disease.
Provision CARES Proton Therapy Nashville Garners National Recognition
Provision CARES Proton Therapy Nashville's Culture of Care has earned national recognition with the 2020 Press Ganey "Guardian of Excellence Award" for exceptional patient experience in outpatient oncology.
The prestigious annual award recognizes and honors medical providers who consistently sustain performance in the top five percent for each designated reporting period over the course of the award year. Press Ganey, a healthcare industry leader in measuring and improving delivery of care, also factored in direct feedback from patients in establishing this year's top performers.
James Gray, MD, FACRO, medical director of the center and a partner with Tennessee Oncology, says a positive patient experience is a key factor in the overall success of a patient's cancer treatment. "It is an honor to receive such high marks from our patients, and a privilege to be part of this distinguished team, that delivers top-level care to our cancer patients and their families every day," said Gray, a radiation oncologist. "We care about our patients beyond their treatment, and it's rewarding to know they feel and acknowledge this care."
In late August, the local cancer center celebrated treatment completion of their 500th patient since opening in October 2018. A partner of Tennessee Oncology, Provision CARES Proton Therapy Nashville was the first proton therapy cancer center in Middle Tennessee.
Alliance Oncology Announces Center in Northwest Alabama
Nashville-based Alliance Oncology recently announced the opening of Singing River Cancer Center (SRCC). Located in Florence, Ala., SRCC is a 45,000 square foot state-of-the-art cancer center that will offer innovative technology and collaborative care in a community setting and serve patients locally and throughout greater Northwest Alabama. SRCC will be a part of Alliance Cancer Care, one of the largest radiation cancer networks in the southeast with over 50 years of combined experience offered at five different locations throughout Northern Alabama.
"We are extremely excited about the opening of the new Singing River Cancer Center," said Douglas McCracken, president of Alliance Oncology. "SRCC brings together an extensive suite of oncology services, multidisciplinary experts, and advanced technology to give residents of the Shoals area and surrounding communities first-class cancer care in one convenient location."
Alliance Oncology is part of California-based Alliance HealthCare Services, a leading provider of outsourced healthcare solutions nationwide with expertise in radiology, oncology and interventional services.
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Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Dr. Richard Martin at Nashville General
Provision CARES Proton Therapy Nashville